Salem Witch Trials
Designer: Patrick Sheehan, JoAnn Sibley
Historians are not sure why the people of Salem became so hysterical about witchcraft. It could have been due to the misunderstanding of other’s traditions, culture, class, or ideas. This lesson is designed to help students investigate the accusers, who was charged and why. Also, students will explain how the tension created by dissenters may have lead to the Salem persecution of women accused of witchcraft. In small groups, students construct a theory for the hysteria and offer alternatives to witchcraft to explain the people’s behavior.
Target Population
Teaching Standards
- 1.1 – Learning to Read Independently
- 1.2 – Reading Critically in All Content Areas
- 5.1 – Principles and Documents of Government
- 5.2 – Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship
- 5.3 – How Government Works
- 7.1 – Basic Geographic Literacy
- 7.3 – The Human Characteristics of Places and Regions
- 7.4 – The Interaction between People and Places
- 8.1 – Historical Analysis and Skills Development
- 8.3 – United States History
Teaching & Learning Theory
This project has a constructivist approach to learning. The constructivist theory indicates that the learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon their current or past knowledge. The learner selects, constructs hypotheses, and makes their own decisions. Teachers foster understanding in the students; they act more as a facilitator. This strategy aligns with two of Charlotte Danielson’s Framework for Teaching:
- Domain I: Planning and Preparation
- Component 1 b: Demonstrating Knowledge of Students – this is important to know the knowledge of students’ approaches to learning, students’ skills, and students’ interests
- Domain 3: Instruction Component 3 c: Engaging Students in Learning.
Products
Multimedia Design Tools
- FrontPage
- MS Word
- Microsoft Publisher